


Eyes On Flower Lane

by Toothlesshwa



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Fluff, Kinda, Love at First Sight, M/M, Miscommunication, Strangers to Lovers, seongjoong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28410819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toothlesshwa/pseuds/Toothlesshwa
Summary: Hongjoong relives his memories of visiting one fateful flower shop daily, buying the same bouquet of flowers every time.
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 3
Kudos: 44





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chloe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chloe/gifts).



_It was like yesterday, the day I pushed open those spotless glass doors, the little bell above it ringing lightly to announce my presence. I still remember the way the gentle smells immediately brushed against the tip of my nose and my eyes filled with so much color, both vibrant and pastel._

_It was like a fairytale behind those doors – a wonderland of sorts – and I was dazed, having to take a moment to absorb it all._

“Um... hi! Can I help you with anything?” Seonghwa spoke up after noticing a customer standing idle at the entrance of his store.

Hongjoong’s eyes snapped over to him, a sheepish smile taking over his features “Oh actually..” he scratched at the back of his head, “I _could_ use a bit of help.”

Seonghwa’s back straightened as the other began to make his way over to the cash register that he sat behind. He could feel as heat started to rush to his cheeks, his eyes widening in a somewhat amazement. Beautiful… The man was beautiful with his doe eyes that seemed to shine, wide grin that was almost calming, and red hair that resembled his favorite flower.

The blond cleared his throat, teeth gnawing on his bottom lip as a newfound feeling of nervousness washed over his being. “W-what exactly are you looking for?” he slightly winced at the sound of his wavering voice.

“Well, this might get a little sappy but, there is someone pretty close to me who I’m really grateful for.. and I love them a lot obviously so they’re pretty important in my life. I don’t want to get them something generic like roses or something, so where do I go from there?”

Seonghwa shifted in his spot once Hongjoong had finished explaining, his lips parting slightly as he concluded that these flowers must be for the customers’ lover. No one who’s ever come into his shop talked about family or friends this way. Not with that little sparkle in their eyes. Not with that fond smile.

He nodded his head in understanding, gears turning as he thought over the customers’ words. He stood from his seat and made his way around the front counter before walking to a corner of the shop. Hongjoong’s brows furrowed as his bottom lip poked out a bit in confusion with how abruptly the store owner had left without any words, but he decided to just stay planted in his spot and wait for the guy to come back.

It wasn’t long before Seonghwa returned to the shorter, his hands now equipped with a bundle of flowers which he placed on the counter as he spoke, “For you, I thought a bouquet of purple amaranth globes, which means ‘immortal love’ and blue campanula bells to symbolize ‘gratitude’. Of course, there is a bit of greenery to balance everything. I picked these ones with smaller leaves because of how.. _interesting_ the flowers are in shape.” He rambled on a bit more, explaining every little detail before looking up at the other, eyebrow raised in anticipation of the others’ reaction.

From the first day he opened his shop to the first customer he had the next week, Seonghwa always had a habit of completely explaining every bit of his flower-filled thoughts, words quick and often he was met with a blank stare in return.

When he was a child, he was often dropped off by his parents to stay with his grandmother during summer break and it was a habit he picked up from watching her when he accompanied her to work on Sundays. He had always looked up to her and she was what sparked his initial interest in flowers; he learned pretty much everything he knew directly from her.

He remembers the reaction his grandmother would receive when she’d go off on a bit of a fiery tangent when explaining the bouquet to her buyers. They would smile brightly at her, nodding their heads along with her words, and even stay behind a bit longer if they couldn't quite understand everything she said. They didn't mind her tangents, simply because they could tell just how passionate she was about her craft.

But people today were different. Completely so. They don’t have a single care for Seonghwa’s passion — they find it quite bothersome in fact. Now people would rather their flowers just be quietly wrapped and handed to them in a timely manner, no words exchanged but the price and quiet thanks before the bell rang signifying their departure.

Times were much more fast-paced these days and this habit of his... it was one that Seonghwa needed to learn to shake, whether he liked it or not before he lost all business.

Hongjoong stared at him, the sudden change in demeanor from the blond taking him slightly aback. No stutters or wandering eyes, he was even slightly slouched in a chill manner.

_It was so confusing to see.. You were so timid just minutes before, but suddenly you seemed comfortable.. almost confident. Your eyes had a bit of a fire behind them as you talked. Of course, I thought nothing of it though, it wasn’t worth mulling over at the time as we were just two strangers._

Seonghwa stared right back at him, slowly shrinking in on himself as he inwardly cursed himself for reverting back to his old ways and saying more than he should, worried that he’d possibly scared off another customer that will leave him with a bad review. His lips parted as he went to blurt out a bundle of apologies, but he was cut off by Hongjoong who had just come back to his senses. 

“The flowers are seriously stunning.. they seem like a perfect fit. Thank you, seriously um” he looked down to the others’ shirt, slightly squinting to read his nametag, “Seonghwa! Thank you Seonghwa.” 

Said boy nodded hastily, swallowing hard, “N-no problem.. Just doing my job aha..”

Hongjoong laughed slightly at his words, finding his switch back to shy kind of cute. Seonghwa was quick to ring him up after delicately wrapping the flowers in pretty light gray paper, not-so-subtly watching the red-head once he walked out the glass doors with eyes a bit brighter than they were prior to his visit. 

_I don’t know what it was about that store.. or what about you that compelled me to come back, but I did... only after three days of hesitation and contemplating._


	2. II

“Oh!-” 

A quiet gasp left Seonghwa’s lips after the ring of a bell grabbed his attention away from the magazine that he was now barely holding onto with limp hands, his head whipping over to the door to find the red-haired male that had slipped into the back of his mind by now. 

He wasn’t expecting to see the man ever again and especially not this soon — not in the same week. 

Hongjoong’s eyes immediately landed on him seated behind the front counter, a smile making its way to his face after the others’ gasp of surprise wafted its way through the sweet, flower-scented air and into his ears. 

“Hi.” Hongjoong gave him a small wave from his spot in the doorway, giggling to himself over his silly little greeting. He was a bit stiff, not knowing what he was doing back at this shop — and so soon at that.

It wasn't long before his legs had him strolling over to the counter, leaning forward onto it, and looking up at the store owner with wonder-filled doe eyes. Seonghwa was quick to jump up out of his seat, standing rigid as he looked into those doe eyes, them sparkling just as they did before from the store lights.

He cleared his throat, “U-um.. how can I help you today?”

Hongjoong froze in his spot, swallowing hard at the question that he somehow wasn’t expecting. He hadn’t a reason to be there, no one to buy flowers for, and no clue what to do so he panicked and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“The other day!” he suddenly exclaimed, startling Seonghwa who looked at him with a confusion-ridden expression. Hongjoong teetered on his heels as he reeled his energy in, “Earlier this week when I was here.. I would like that bouquet again.” 

Seonghwa stared back at him silently, taking in his words. As it dawned on him that this customer liked his work not only to come back again but to get the exact same one, a proud feeling invaded his body and he bit back the smile that wanted to etch its way onto his lips .

“I can get that for you, hold on.” 

He stepped from behind the counter and weaved his way through the shop, delicately pulling flowers into his white sweater-clad arms just like he did last time. Coming back to the front where his customer patiently waited for him, he started to swiftly arrange the flowers in one hand, going for a bit of an asymmetric design with the greenery. 

Hongjoong watched in awe at how fast he was to bind the flowers by their stems with tape before covering it with green ribbon. He tried hard to pay attention to every little detail in the way the mans’ fingers nimbly moved and gripped at the floral clippers to cut the stems to a reasonable length. 

Setting the flowers onto the counter, Seonghwa started to pull out the light gray wrapping paper, skillfully cutting and folding the paper to have a pretty design. Hongjoong was completely focused and fascinated watching him work that he actually stopped the man when he noticed something. 

“Wait,” he called out, making the florist halt in his movements, looking over with a worried expression, “this is different.. You didn’t wrap the flowers like this last time.”

Seonghwa bit the inside of his cheek, reeling back from the counter as he prepared himself for an angry customer. “I’m sorry, I thought I’d try something different this time.” he apologized in a small voice, head lowered.

“No, no, no there’s nothing wrong with it!” he was quick to try and clear up the confusion. “I was just curious about it. I didn’t know there were other ways to wrap it.” 

Seonghwa raised his head at this, a light feeling coating his chest. “O-oh.. yeah there are many different styles of wrapping. I can explain it a bit if you want…” he looked at the other with a cloud of hope starting to float around him. 

“Can you? Watching you has made me a bit interested.” 

The taller smiled excitedly at his words, thinking this elated feeling must be how his grandmother used to feel when working. “So last time, if you remember, I wrapped the flowers in a more cone shape but this time I would like to..” 

_ I remember how absolutely thrilled you were to be telling me all about that damn paper. It was interesting to watch how your demeanor changed when talking about those flowers.  _

_ I’ll never forget that day… because that was the first time I ever got to see that beautiful smile of yours. _


	3. III

_ It was a month of me walking along that street every day, glancing over as I passed by to see if your shop was open. I’d always feel a little excited when my eyes fell on the bright lights that lit up the store, revealing you who resided behind the clear glass.  _

_ Back then, I didn’t know why I’d visit every day. I had no reason to, so I’d always buy those same flowers, every time. That was my only excuse.  _

_ This time when I walked in, I found you crouched by the counter, your back facing towards me. I was immediately worried that maybe something happened but my ears soon caught on to the situation.  _

“What are you doing here all alone?” Hongjoong’s ears perked at the deep, silky voice that carried a soft-spoken tone. He side-stepped to get a better view of what was happening.

“I came all by myself!” a small male child — that couldn’t be any older than nine — spoke proudly with a grin, snaggletooth on full display. 

“Okay,” Seonghwa chuckled lightly, “and what exactly are you here for, little one?”

“I’m not little!” the kid proclaimed, puffing out his chest with a scrunched face to display his ‘manliness’, inciting another laugh from the older. His mood soon turned solemn as he began to speak again, “Mom told me to get flowers for grandma… Grandma is in the hospital.”

It never failed to surprise the red-haired how fast a child's mood could change, giving him a bit of whiplash every time.

“Aw, I’m sorry to hear that.” Hongjoong could practically hear his frown from his spot behind the blond. “Did your mom tell you what flowers to get for her?”

The kid looked down to the floor with pouty lips in full thought. Seonghwa waited patiently for him to figure everything out. 

He always had a bit of a soft spot for children, often offering to look after his younger cousins on weekends when he wasn’t busy. The innocence and purity of his cousins always made him warm inside and a bit envious of their carefree nature.

Hongjoong, on the other hand, had a distaste for the ‘little gremlins’ as he called them. Grubby hands, constant yelling, lack of manners, and all-around complete handfuls. But.. he doesn’t seem to mind the kid at this moment. Maybe it was the influence of the shop owner, the juxtaposition of his tender words with this child, and the stiff ones they usually shared with each other swaying his opinion.

The boy let out a loud, exaggerated gasp as the pout settled further onto his small, squishable face, “Mom didn’t tell me what to get!” he exclaimed, his eyes starting to water as he was on the verge of tears.

“Don’t worry, I think I have the perfect flowers for your grandma. No need to cry.” Seonghwa stood and leaned down to give the boy a ruffle of his fluffy auburn hair to comfort and reassure him. “Stay here, okay?” 

The kid nodded, sniffling a little as he balled his shirt into his fist to keep from crying. Hongjoong watched Seonghwa walk off into a corner of the store, soon disappearing from his sight. He looks back over to find the boys’ huge, misty eyes staring dead at him, a child-like wonder behind the sheer curtains tears left over those eyes.

Hongjoong broke out into an awkward smile as he was finally noticed, forcing a broken laugh and small wave, “A-ah- Hi..” 

The younger continued to stare at him silently, discomfort washing over Hongjoong’s body as he didn’t know what else to do but stare back. Weird.. Kids are weird, he concluded.

“Oh, Hongjoong… When did you get here?” Seonghwa inquired once he returned to the front, his arms occupied with a bunch of beautiful flowers. “I didn’t hear the bell ring just then.”

“Don’t worry, I just got here.” he lied through his teeth, opting not to tell the other that he'd been there for a while, just silently watching his endearing interaction from behind.

The blond nodded at him in response before turning to the boy, “I picked these ones, do you like them?” he asked with a hopeful smile. 

“They are reallyreallyreallyreally pretty!!” the latter exclaimed happily, Seonghwa’s smile growing by the second. 

Walking behind the counter to begin preparing the flowers, he hoped the younger would listen as he explained, “Ya know, these flowers are called ‘peonies’? They’re associated with healing so they are quite nice ‘get well soon’ flowers.”

Hongjoong couldn’t help the giggle that slipped past his lips as he watched the boy stand on the tips of his toes to see the handiwork of the store owner. The red-haired wondered if this was how his friends had always seen him whenever he tried to see over a big crowd of people, them having always teased him in those moments. 

Seonghwa looked up at the pleasing sound, pink dusting his cheeks as he slightly pondered whether the other was laughing at him or not. He quickly cleared his throat and continued, “I’ll put them in the pot so it’ll be easier for you to carry on your way, okay?” The boy nodded eagerly though he wasn’t paying much attention to Seonghwa’s words but rather to his hands that were delicately preparing the bouquet. “Hey, what’s your name, little one?”

The boy pouted at the nickname before answering, “Ju Yeonho; the one-and-only!” 

Hongjoong chuckled at the boy again. “One-and-only, huh?” he muttered to himself, shaking his head lightheartedly. 

“One-and-only.” Seonghwa was quick to confirm for little Yeonho. “Then, Yeonho, do you like stickers?”

“I loooove stickers. My friends and I have a bunch! Mom says my collection is impressive.” he gave a cheeky smile. 

“Why don’t you decorate this pot every time you visit your grandma then? I’m sure she’ll enjoy seeing the space fill up each time.” 

Yeonho agreed happily as his small, chubby hands reached out to hold the pot when Seonghwa held it out for him. “Be careful with these, okay? The flowers get hurt easily.”

“They get hurt??”   


“Hm, so keep them safe. I’m trusting them with you.”

“Okay, mister! I’ll be extra, extra careful.” Yeonho held the pot protectively to his chest, a determined look in his eyes. 

Seonghwa pinched his puffy cheeks before sending the small boy off, sighing in content once he stepped back into the shop. The smile slowly faded off his face once he realized that Hongjoong was still there and that he was now left alone with the red-haired.

Hongjoong frowned once he saw how the others’ body immediately started to tense up like it always had around him, but he was quick to hide it with a smile of his own. “He was something, huh, the one-and-only?”

“Y-yeah- Um… your usual?” 

The shorter simply nodded in response, something simmering deep inside him as his eyebrows creased. 

_ I remember sulking to myself on my way home that day, suddenly having no desire to do anything else I had planned for that day. I couldn’t exactly pinpoint why I was so upset after leaving your shop or rather — I disliked the reason and didn’t want to admit to myself that I was so worried about how you, a complete stranger, thought of me. It was unusual for me, so I thought it was best to ignore it and leave be.  _


	4. IV

_ Two weeks pass and nothing changes between us, unfortunately. It was frustrating constantly wondering how you think of me; whether those thoughts were negative or otherwise. But one day I woke up determined. Determined to get you to speak more than a few words to me without it being about those flowers you seem to love so much. And so, I confidently march my way into your store, head high and ready for whatever was thrown my way. _

Seonghwa looked over to the entrance, seeing exactly who he expected to come in at this hour. He mustered up the best smile, hoping it didn’t come off  _ too _ awkward. He was a bit surprised when he really began to take the other in with his eyes. Hongjoong was almost glowing, exuding an aura similar to the one he had when he first visited the blond’s shop but hiked up tenfold. 

“Hey, Seonghwa!”

“H-hey..” He wanted to ask what was happening that day to make Hongjoong seem so bright compared to the past few weeks or if he even realized how  _ different  _ he was today, but Seonghwa didn’t want to pry into the others’ life. They weren’t close, not even friends, and he was worried Hongjoong would view him weird if he were to inquire. 

He rose from his seat, scurrying along to prepare Hongjoong’s bouquet just like he always had. He was getting quite fast at it since the order never changed, save for when Seonghwa would take it into his own account to change wrapping styles. 

Just as he was taping the stems of the flowers, the still air was cut when the red-haired spoke with confident words, “You free on Saturday?”

Seonghwa completely froze, his hands almost going completely limp and dropping the half-finished bouquet. He didn’t look up to the other, keeping his eyes trained on his suede Chelsea boots. “W-what?”

Hongjoong laughed lightly. “Saturday. Let’s hang out.”

The taller hesitated, pondering on the invitation. Not that he detested the idea of seeing the red-haired outside of work hours, but that he was worried about making himself look like a fool by reading a little bit too much into this. 

As his slender fingers slowly started to get back into working on the bouquet, he gently nodded his head, his bangs sashaying in front of his eyes. Hongjoong’s smile widened, lined with the triumphant feeling he was now oozing with. “Ah, but, I don’t know this area well so you’ll have to pick where we go.’’ Sure, Hongjoong has lived there for over half a year now but it was always grim trying to find time in his schedule to explore around.

Seonghwa mumbled a word of understanding before delicately placing the bouquet on the counter, Hongjoong taking it up into his smaller hands. “Thanks. Let’s meet up here at 2 pm? Here’s my number just in case.” 

The blond glanced up at him, a shy smile on his lips and his cherry dusted cheeks coming into view. An elated feeling surging through Hongjoong as he walked out the glass door, light on his feet.

_ Days passed quickly, my anticipation expanding far more than I could handle. Almost every second of my time was spent pondering over how everything would go. _

_ Our first hangout was a simple one, a classic at that. You took me to a cafe only a short distance from your shop once you had closed it up for the day. You were so quiet, not a peep coming from your spot beside me as we walked together but I tried to think nothing of it. At least you had an excuse for it today.  _

“Hi! What would you both like?” the barista at the counter greeted them politely.

Hongjoong was the first to answer, an easy smile on his lips, “Can I have an iced americano please?” 

She smiled at him with a nod as she typed in his order, head raising to now look at the taller of the two. “And you?”

“I’ll, um... I’ll get what he has.” he scrambled out, mentally smacking himself since he knew how much he didn’t like the bitter taste of that drink. He didn’t know why he felt so embarrassed to order his usual diabetes-inducing concoction but he knew that he wanted to impress the other and for some reason, this was the way he was going about it.

“Ah, before I forget, how many pumps of sweetener would you both like?”

“I’m fine without any.”

Seonghwa begrudgingly mumbled out his answer right after, his words being incoherent to the two. His eyes were downcast as his fingers fiddled with themselves behind his back. 

“Sorry, what was that?”

“N-nine..” he once again mumbled, his answer making Hongjoong giggle from beside him as he was, fortunately, able to pick up what he was saying. 

“Cute.” the red-haired said to himself with a widening smile before looking to the barista who wore a confused expression, “He said nine.”

“Of course,” she typed in their order into the large tablet in front of her. “Will this be to-go?” 

“No, we’ll stay here.” Hongjoong corrected as he absentmindedly pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, handing over his card to the barista without a second thought. 

“Wait..!” Seonghwa called out as the card was already being handed back to the former. Hongjoong hmmed and looked over to him inquisitively. “You don’t have to pay for me..” 

“Don’t worry, I want to pay for you.” he looked at him with those sparkling eyes of his that always seemed to captivate Seonghwa. “Besides, I did invite you out so I should pay.”

“Then..  _ I’ll _ invite  _ you  _ out next time.” he decided as they walked over to a table by the large windows. 

“Next time? Our date hasn’t even fully started and you’re already thinking about next time?” Hongjoong teased him.

The blond halted in his steps. “H-huh? That’s not- I didn’t mean that!” his hands were moving wildly in front of him to further get his point across. 

“Oh?” Hongjoong tilted his head to the side in mock surprise, “Then do you not want to hang out again?”

“That’s not what I meant either!”

The shorter one laughed at him, “I know, don’t worry.” He continued making his way over to the table, Seonghwa falling in step behind him. “Also you look cute when you’re blushing.” 

Seonghwa felt as his face went an even darker shade of red from the other’s comment, quickly hiding behind his hands as he placed his head on the table in embarrassment. “ … not .. c..ute.” his muffled voice denied. 

“Hmm, I think otherwise.” 

Hongjoong slowly slid his arm towards him, his index finger coming out to gently poke Seonghwa’s head, making him peek out from under his bangs in curiosity. 

_ My heart was nearly wearing itself out in my chest when you looked up at me like that. I swore I could get lost in those eyes of yours. Those big, dark brown, adorable eyes.  _


	5. V

“Hey, Hwa!” 

“..Hwa?”

“Yeah, Hwa. Do you not like me calling you that?”

Seonghwa was silent for a few seconds, fiddling with his fingers in his lap. “No.. Hwa is fine.” he answered quietly. It’s not like he was never called ‘Hwa’ before but it felt different hearing it from Hongjoong. The way the nickname easily rolled off the latter’s tongue made his stomach do somersaults. Something so simple yet it had such an effect on him. It was strange but he’d rather ignore it for the time being.

It was a Tuesday; one of Seonghwa’s slower days — which over these past almost three months Hongjoong has come to notice. Since their first time hanging out over a week ago, the two had grown a little closer. The blond becoming just that bit more comfortable around the other.

As Hongjoong watched the store owner wrap his bouquet just as he always had, a wave of confidence washed over him as he saw a window of opportunity after a lightbulb thought. The night before, he restlessly laid tangled in his bed, mind swamped with thoughts of Seonghwa. Nights like these were quickly becoming the norm for him and he could no longer deny his feelings for the taller male. 

“Were you always this good?”

“Hm?” Seonghwa glanced at him with a confusion-ridden expression.

“Doing that. Were you always good at making bouquets?” 

“Oh.. Well, I actually was really terrible at it the first few times.” his voice was light as a reminiscent chuckle slipped past his lips. “I learned from my grandmother when I was around nine or ten. She really had her work cut out for her back then teaching me.” His grandmother lost a bunch of her stock in that month, little Seonghwa having ruined many flowers and torn a bunch of wrapping paper.

Hongjoong nodded, a small sound of understanding softly reverberating in his throat. He thought to himself for a bit before blurting out, “Do you think you could teach me?”

The blond fully halted from his movements, gears in his head turning as what seemed like such a simple question played through him like a broken record, continuously repeating as he took it in. “You.. you’re actually interested in this?” he asked, his tone carrying his unsure feelings. He couldn’t seem to wrap his head around the thought that someone actually _wanted_ to learn about what he considered to be his world and so he was skeptical, thinking it was a joke or something to tease him. 

“Well,” Hongjoong scratched at his nape as he looked to the side, “I’ve never been one for flowers before but.. you manage to make it seem ‘fun’.”

“Are you serious?”

“What else would I be?” a light laugh in response. 

Seonghwa stared at him, studying his face for any hint of falsehood. He nodded slowly, a smile on his heart as he motioned for the shorter to join him behind the counter. “Um.. well.. I guess I should show you where everything is...” 

He stepped back a bit, Hongjoong quickly following suit as he watched Seonghwa reach under the counter, pulling out a drawer. It was full of rolls upon rolls of his wrapping paper. It resembled calm waves, Hongjoong thought, like a fantasy ocean full of different shades of almost every color under the sun. He listened intently as the store owner gently spoke to him, his voice just a hair above a whisper and pleasing as it flowed into his ears just like those calm fantasy waves.

Seonghwa wanted to be a bit more cautious with the way he talked, opting out of his usual fiery speech and keeping his babbling to a minimum as to not scare off the red-haired. This was the first time anyone had been interested enough in his craft to ask him to enlighten them on how it’s all done. It felt nice.. welcoming someone into his guarded wonderland that is.

“Usually, you would pick your wrapping based on the flowers.” he debated with himself for a second. “..You can go pick some out; I’ll wait here.” 

Hongjoong gasped lightly as he looked up to him, “I can pick whichever ones I want?!” 

The blond stared down at him, into Hongjoong’s wide eyes that had a childish glimmer in them. He felt as the corners of his lips curled upwards the longer he looked into those captivating eyes. He gave a small nod as clearance, biting the inside of his cheek as the words ‘I trust you’ rested on the very tip of his tongue.

The red-haired gave a small yelp of celebration as he pumped his fist in the air before more or less skipping his way deeper into the store. Seonghwa let out a small, breathy laugh as he looked on into where the shorter had disappeared. 

His gaze turned down to his sleeve as he played with a loose thread absentmindedly, distracted by the constant rapping in his chest whenever Hongjoong was around. He wasn’t dense, he knew exactly why he was this way but insecurities kept him second-guessing and doubting his own feelings. A sigh slipped past his lips just before the sound of hurried footsteps returned to beside him. 

Hongjoong placed his choice of flowers down onto the counter and slid them into Seonghwa’s range of eyesight. The latter stared at them, the wind almost knocked out of him before he glanced over to the former, a bright, hopeful smile overtaking his face as he looked to the store owner for approval.

“I picked it because it reminds me of my hair.” Hongjoong explained, laughing at himself for such a simple reason.

“Red sweet peas..” Seonghwa breathed out slowly. He looked up to Hongjoong’s hair and back down to the flowers. 

“I didn’t get any other ones ‘cause I don’t want to ruin too many of your flowers. Is that fine?”

Finding it hard to speak, Seonghwa simply nodded at him, taking a few seconds to catch his breath. “G-green.. You need greenery…” 

“Ah, right! I knew I was forgetting something!” he hit his head softly with his knuckles before scurrying off again, “Hold on, I’ll go get some.”

Seonghwa wasn’t listening anymore at that point as he stared down at the bunch of flowers, fingers trailing down the stems as he was hit with a gust of nostalgia and memories. 

“Are you sure you don’t hate those?” 

Seonghwa’s head snapped up at the sound of the other’s voice. “What?”

“You’ve been staring at them silently for the past five minutes.. I can choose something else if you want?” 

“These are my favorite.” he admitted quietly. 

“Oh, then I picked well!” 

“Yeah.. Let’s get started then?” Seonghwa stepped to the side, twisting to reach behind him for the tape and floral clippers on a low, wooden shelf. 

Hongjoong all but hopped on his feet as he went to stand next to him. Seonghwa placed the floral clippers in the smallers’ hand, “Gather the flowers so they are around the same height at their heads. Then, just cut the stems.” 

“Got it.” Hongjoong said confidently as he reached for the flowers, trying to grab them in one hand just as he saw the store owner do countless times. “O-oh!” he exclaimed sheepishly as almost half of them fell from his hand. He turned to the other slowly with a nervous smile hanging from his lips, “Sorry..”

Seonghwa looked down at the flowers that now rested on the floor before bursting out into laughter, his face scrunched as if he were in pain. Hongjoong watched him in awe, this having been the first time he had seen the blond full-on laugh and the loudest he had ever heard him. He couldn’t help but start to laugh himself, squatting down to retrieve the fallen flowers. 

As his laughter came to a slow, Seonghwa waved his hand in front of him in dismissal, “It’s fine, but I think your hands are a bit small to hold all of those at once.” 

“Hey!” Hongjoong exclaimed in mock offense, “My hands aren’t _that_ small!”

“Tell that to those poor sweet peas.” The red-haired playfully humphed in response. “How about I hold them for you? You can still cut the stems.”

_We were standing so close together then and I can’t lie, I was a bit nervous but luckily enough for me, I’ve always been good at hiding stuff like that._

_Being next to you, I was hit with a feeling of comfort, as if I were wrapped up in a blanket of the fresh scent that wafted from you and mixed with the already sweet, floral air of the shop. You must not wear any type of cologne, I concluded, the smell having to be whatever type of detergent you use._

“Tape them together and then we can start wrapping.” 

Hongjoong voiced a sound of understanding as he reached over to the tape dispenser, ripping off a long strip and trying to wrap it around the stems but failing when the tape would stick to his fingers and then to the sleeve of his shirt when he tried to maneuver it. 

He squeaked out curses as his arm trashed around to try and get it off while his other hand held the flowers in place against the counter. Seonghwa laughed as he watched him continue struggling to effectively rid his shirt of the tape. 

“Hey, hey, hey, stop moving,” he spoke as he continued to laugh at the shorter, “I can get it for you. Ya know, you look like a bird.. flailing around like that and all.” 

Hongjoong glared without even a hint of anger or weight behind it. “Yeah yeah, just help me get this off.” 

Seonghwa smiled at him, “If you’re going to adhere them, stick one end of the tape to the underside of the bunch before bringing it around.” 

The red-haired followed his simple instructions after grabbing another strip of tape, successfully completing his task this time around. “Okay, do I get to wrap it now?”

“Pick a ribbon and tie it around the tape, then feel free to choose whichever style of paper you want.”

Hongjoong quickly did as told, excited to be near complete, thinking he’s done fairly well — save for a few slip-ups here and there — considering this was his first time making a bouquet. “Hmm..” His eyes scanned through the drawer. “Can I use two?” 

“Depends.

“Depends.. on what?” 

“Depends on which two you’re thinking of.” 

The smaller reached in, grabbing the two rolls and setting them down before looking up at Seonghwa. “These two.” He pointed over to them. One a solid, creamy white and the other being clear plastic. 

“Using two is going to make things more complicated.” Seonghwa informed him as he brought over the scissors. 

“I know, I can handle it.” he declared confidently, slightly puffing out his chest to drive the point home. 

“Hongjoong the one-and-only.” Seonghwa muttered, snickering to himself. 

“What was that?”

“..nothing- Watch closely while I do this.” the blond quickly covered.

He spreads the plastic wrapping across the counter, slowly making cuts and folding it here and there so Hongjoong could have a clear demonstration of what to do. 

It was quiet between them for a while before the red-haired spoke up, “You mentioned earlier that these flowers were your favorite.. Sweet peas, right?”

Seonghwa hummed in confirmation, pondering for a second before deciding to elaborate, “My grandmother.. I got my interest in flowers because of her. She used to run a shop just like this. Red sweet peas were her favorite.” he reminisced softly, his hands still at work. “Actually, they were the first flowers I practiced with.” 

“Oh, then, we seem to have similar taste.” Hongjoong said with a big smile stretching onto his face. “Do they have a meaning like the other ones?”

“Red is usually a symbol of love and passion. You typically give these.. to someone you have feelings for. To say you enjoy being around them.” 

_When you uttered those words.. I thought this was perfect, that this was my chance. What better way to confess than with a bouquet? Especially one we made together._

Hongjoong was silent, thinking over what was just said. “When I finish, can I use these?” he asked quietly. 

Seonghwa felt a pang in his chest. “...you have someone in mind?” his words were bitter.

Hongjoong was taken aback by his tone, a pit growing in his stomach, replacing the butterflies that had only a few seconds to roam around just before. Looking over at Seonghwa, he was quick to notice the scowl that now plagued his face. “Yeah.. is that fine?” He watched as the other’s jaw visibly tightened.

“Do what you want.” he coldly replied.

Of course, how could Seonghwa forget — all those bouquets from the past few months were for someone. Someone who wasn’t him. He felt like a fool for ever thinking otherwise. “Hurry and finish, I’ll have customers soon.” It was crazy how quickly things could come crashing down.

Hongjoong hesitantly nodded, the air that was once comforting now suffocating, making it hard to breathe, making it hard for him to speak.

_ But I chickened out then… I was so sure that I’d finally confess to you, tell you how I feel, but there was something about your reaction. It deterred me.. I thought maybe there really was nothing between us? At least, not on your end. Especially when you so suddenly seemed angry with me. _


	6. VI

Hongjoong sluggishly threw open the door to his apartment, kicking it shut right after. He rested his back against it with his head hung low and eyes squeezed shut. 

He stood there silently for some time, trying to gather his thoughts, trying to figure out where it went wrong, what he did wrong. He felt completely defeated — everything was going so well just before and he seemed to have the green light right in front of him.. so what happened?

He caught sight of the bouquet he made, barely hanging in his weak hand. He sighed before he all but dragged himself over to his black, leather couch, plopping down onto it and laying the bouquet on the cushion beside him. 

“What do I do now..” he whispered out into the still air. 

Seonghwa has no feelings for him, he had already concluded that on his way home. He no longer had a reason to visit the shop… not unless he wanted to be  _ just  _ friends with the blond, but he wasn’t sure his heart could take being so close to him yet so far away. 

He would need time for himself essentially. Time to get over his feelings. 

He took a second to survey his apartment. 

_ Flowers, they’re everywhere, filling my entire apartment. I was basically surrounded by colorful visions of you no matter where I looked.  _

“What am I going to do with all of you?” 

_ It wasn’t like me to give up on things this easily, but I’ve never lost something before even obtaining it either.. and what was I supposed to do? It wasn’t like I could force you to change your feelings and even if I could, that’d be completely selfish.  _

_ Even with thinking I was indirectly rejected, I still want to see you… But I won’t go to you unless you tell me to. _

_ — _

Seonghwa’s head shot up at the sound of the overhead bell, frowning when some stranger walked in. Definitely not a good way to greet a customer, but he couldn’t control his expressions at this point. 

Three days. It had been three days since his favorite regular came to visit. Three days since he last saw that head of bright red hair that reminded him of his favorite flower. Three days since he last looked into those big, sparkling eyes that held so much life and youth behind them.

He scoffed to himself, “Is he spending so much time with his lover that he can’t even visit me?”

The blond had never pegged himself as the jealous type, but you learn something new every day it seemed. Seonghwa couldn’t even count on his two hands how many times he imagined confronting this mysterious person, his favorite scenario of marching in on their dinner, pulling Hongjoong into his arms and declaring his feelings for all in the restaurant to hear, a triumphant smile overtaking his features when Hongjoong’s (now) past lover yells of protests fall on deaf ears.

Seonghwa knew he’d never have enough courage to do something so attention-grabbing as that but it never hurt to dream. 

He let out a solemn huff, his bangs lifting from his forehead only for a moment. “Excuse me.” a voice called out, snapping him out of his thoughts. The customer from before stood before him, an elderly lady with a kind face.

“O-oh, I’m so sorry miss. What can I help you with?”

Soon after, he was finalizing her bouquet, it having been simple and quick to prepare. “You’ve been frowning ever since I walked in here.” the lady brought up as she patiently waited for him to finish.

“Please excuse me, it was never directed at you-”

“You youngins’ these days! You have nothing to worry this much over just yet and stop furrowing your brows like that before you end up all wrinkly like me. Don’t ruin your handsome face so early!” she told him with a hearty laugh. “Now tell me what’s got you all down.”

Seonghwa let out a defeated sigh. “There’s someone who used to visit me every day for the past.. almost four months, but something happened between us the other day. He hasn’t been here at all.” 

“Do you care for this fellow?” 

He nodded without hesitation, “Of course I do.” 

The woman smiled sweetly at him taking his hands into her rough ones, “Then why don’t you go to him this time?”

Seonghwa considered her suggestion, it settling deep into him before he turned to her with fire in his eyes, “You’re right, I should go to him this time.” He gave her hands a squeeze before pulling his phone out of his pocket, shooting Hongjoong a quick text, and hurriedly ringing up the woman.

—

“Ahem.” Hongjoong cleared his throat as he stood behind a park bench, trying to catch the attention of the occupant. 

Seonghwa curiously turned his head to look, shooting up from his seat with wide eyes. “Y-you.. You came…”

“Well yeah. You told me that I might as well delete your number if I didn’t.” he playfully rolled his eyes, trying to break the next-to-grim mood.

Seonghwa stared nervously not knowing what to do. He was so sure of himself just seconds before, but his boldness fizzling out.

“So, um, what’d you bring me here for?”

“I.. I..” Seonghwa swallowed hard as his words seemed to clam up in his throat. “L-lets go sit somewhere else.” He looked around the sizable park that they had met up in, noticing a big tree with perfect amounts of shade for a sunny day like this. “Like there!”

Hongjoong slightly nodded, not putting up any sort of a fight as he followed the other. He wasn’t expecting to receive a text from Seonghwa any time soon — nevertheless an invite out — but he’d be lying if he said his heart wasn’t elated the second a ‘ding’ sounded from his phone, leaving him to basically scramble to make himself all pretty and rush to the park.

An uncomfortable silence hung over them like dark storm clouds, ready to burst and disturb all. Hongjoong took to listening to the wind that whistled through the green leaves above them, distant screams of children playing adding to the parks’ peaceful melody. It was nice to finally spend some time outside after he stayed cooped up, moping around inside during any free time he had from work but the atmosphere that settled between the two kept him from truly enjoying it.

“So, are you gonna tell me why you called me out now?” Hongjoong spoke up, wanting to cut through the thick air that was starting to suffocate him.

Seonghwa looked down to his lap, his fingers picking at the grass, before he slowly answered, “Y-you haven’t come to the shop in a while..”

A frown settled onto the red-haired face. “I thought you hated me.” he simply replied.

“Why.. why would I h-hate you..?”

“That! Exactly that! You’re always stuttering and stiff around me,” he fully turned his body to face the other as words rapid-fired from him finally being able to voice his worries, “You  _ have _ to hate me or something.”

Seonghwa’s eyes widened as he listened to him. He never thought he was so obvious with the way his act changed when Hongjoong was around. “I-I wouldn’t hang out with you... if I hated you.”

“Then what, Seonghwa? I can never get a full sentence out of you unless it’s about those damn flowers and you’re never like this with everyone else. I’ve seen it; when you think I’m not there. Do I make you uncomfortable?”

“I have feelings for you.” 

Hongjoong felt like he had been punched right in the stomach, the air leaving his lungs as he completely froze, those five words hounding him. “..what?”

The blond grimaced to himself, cursing in his head as he hadn’t expected to blurt something like that out. If things weren’t awkward before, they definitely are now. “I know you’re with someone else.. so forget I said that. okay?”

Hongjoong longed to look at the other’s face, unsure if this was a prank or not. “Seonghwa..” he breathed out, “look at me.”

He shook his head in response, only turning away further, “No. I can’t speak to you like this otherwise…”

Hongjoong sighed before reaching for his hand, his smaller hand trying but failing to cover Seonghwa’s, making the latter smile a little besides himself. “There isn’t someone else. There’s only you.” 

Seonghwa looked at him wide-eyed. “T-Then.. who were all those bouquets for?”

Hongjoong forced out a laugh, playing with the other’s fingers to ease his embarrassment, “The first one was for my brother. He pretty much raised me since our parents were always busy, so I felt like randomly gifting him flowers… as a ‘thank you’.”

It felt like several weights fell from Seonghwa’s shoulders, his heart light as his smile grew. “You buy flowers for your brother?”

“Yeah and what about it?” a pointed look thrown his way.

“Nothing, nothing. Just uncommon.” 

“But Seonghwa..” Hongjoong spoke up after a few moments, “You say you are so weird around because you like me, right, but you’ve been like this since the second we met.

He nodded lightly, looking off in the distance as he relived that fateful memory, giving him confidence, “I’ve been interested in you since you first walked into my shop.” he finally turned to the shorter, face peaceful and happy as he spoke, his other hand going to lift his chin, “Those eyes of yours.. They were sparkling just like that that day. It was hard to keep my composure around my prettiest customer.”

This was the first time Seonghwa had seen the other blush and he couldn’t help but think himself blessed to see such a sight.

A gasp escaped him when Hongjoong took his face in his hands, pulling him into a hurried peck on the lips, the look of surprise evident on his features as he stared at the red-haired who was now the one to refuse to look at him. He was desperately trying to process what just happened — and so quickly like that. 

Hongjoong abruptly stood up, his hand held out to Seonghwa as he kept his gaze ahead. “L-lets go. I want to show you something.” 

—

“Woah..” Seonghwa breathed as he looked around in amazement. 

Hongjoong had brought him to his home.. And  _ woah _ . 

“So this is what you did with the rest of them.” he turned to the other, mouth still agape, “How’ve you managed to keep them all alive..?” 

“Well, you know, research.” he answered simply. Sleepless nights full of research to keep these flowers happy, to keep Seonghwa happy. 

Seonghwa gently squeezed his hand as he looked around again. “I’m impressed.. Thanks for taking care of them.” He walked up to one of the vases, his fingers tracing the petals of the blue bells, still vibrant and thriving. “It almost looks like my shop in here.” 

A laugh billowed through the room, “Yeah, I practically brought out your whole stock.”

Every group of flowers represented all of their days together, putting it into perspective just how long Seonghwa waited to be with Hongjoong like this. The blond turned to him with a smile before suddenly pulling the latter into his arms. “Thank you, for everything.”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything Seonghwa.” his hands just barely ghosting the other’s chest. 

He lightly shook his head, “Oh but I should. Who else do I thank for bringing you in my life?” 

“I don’t know.. I can’t think straight when you say stuff that sounds so cheesy.” 

Seonghwa rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

They share their second kiss when Seonghwa leans in, capturing Hongjoong’s lips with his own. It was slow and gentle, unlike their first one. Their hearts pumping out of their chests as their lips moved like they were a matching set. There were no fireworks, and the world never stopped spinning on its axis just for them, but the time they spent together was special to them nevertheless, every second savored as if it were to be the last.

_ I can’t say that I knew you were ‘the one’ in that moment — I don’t think you can ever truly know — but I did know that it felt right to be there with you and I knew that I wanted you to be happy. I wanted us to be happy together.. for as long as possible.  _

“Since when were you so confident?” Hongjoong teased him. 

“I can be confident since I have you here like this.”

It was Hongjoong’s turn to roll his eyes now, “I hate smooth talkers.” he joked before landing another kiss on the other, this one lighter than the rest. “Be mine?” he breathed out against Seonghwa’s pinkish lips, neither of them moving to create distance between them, enjoying being so close and in each others arms.


	7. VII

“And now here I stand, hand in yours, telling our  _ entire _ life story to everyone here. I can’t explain to you how much I love you in words so I promise to you that I’ll instead  _ show  _ you every second in the years to come. I can’t promise that we will always see eye-to-eye and I can’t promise that we won’t have a few rough patches here and there but what I can promise is that I will always work with you to get through it all. I’ll always work hard to become a better man for you. I’ll stay by your side for as long as you’ll have me.” 

Hongjoong stared into Seonghwa’s teary eyes with the brightest smile he could muster up. He wasn’t the type to cry easily like his fiancé but he couldn’t help the sting he felt as they stood together at the altar, dressed in similar wine-colored suits. 

With their vows shared, the officiant prompts the ring bearer to do as such. “I, Seonghwa, promise to love and cherish you, Hongjoong, till the end of my days.” he uttered softly before the two took the wedding bands and gently slid them onto each other’s hand, 

“I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may seal your vows with a kiss!” the officiant prompted them, the room erupting into cheers as the two leaned in and shared a passionate kiss, full of all the love and happiness they swore to always give one another. 

“I love you.” Seonghwa whispered out to him as his tears finally flowed down his cheeks. Hongjoong reached up to gently cup his face, wiping them with his thumbs. 

“Yeah, I know.” a soft hit to his shoulder as he laughed, “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end!!   
> I hope you enjoyed reading <3


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